Best 4 Door Convertibles

Love the feeling of wind blowing through your hair as you travel down the road? Think you can’t have it without a cramped two-seater convertible? Think again. Although the choices aren’t plentiful, there are some 4-door convertibles that fit the bill, although you may have wait for them to (hopefully,) be produced, or buy one that’s decades old (say, a vintage late 1960s Lincoln Continental convertible). Then, again, it’s all a matter of preference.

Here we’ve selected Best 4-Door Convertibles based on what’s out there, overall appeal in terms of looks, performance, features, and other intrinsic factors. We’ve also considered what the automotive experts have to say. Here, then, is our list of Best 4-Door Convertibles:

Jeep Wrangler Unlimited – In terms of 4-door convertibles currently available, the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited is it. Edmunds says of this compact SUV model first offered in 2007, “those willing to give up a little mountain goat-like agility off the beaten path in exchange for more passenger and cargo space have the four-door Wrangler model called the Unlimited.” But there is a price to pay, say Edmunds editors, “for driving the only four-door convertible SUV offered in modern times,” in that the manual top takes two (patient and strong) people to lower and raise. Autoblog.com says “the beauty of the four-door Wrangler Unlimited is that it still packs the rugged looks of the iconic two-door but in stretched form…we enjoy the Wrangler’s looks, especially sans roof…but what we didn’t know was what life would be like with a Wrangler as our daily driver.” Consumer Guide sums it up this way: “This Jeep is a limited-purpose machine. Off road, it’s a finely honed tool. On road, it’s best considered a fun-in-the-sun runabout.”

As for other choices, look to the future and the potential that Audi may come out with an A7 4-door convertible (see Motor Trend story), Mercedes-Benz (see Consumer Guide story) may finally produce an S600-based Ocean Drive (previously a concept car). There were rumblings that Nissan would come out with a Murano 4-door convertible (Edmunds InsideLine), but that remains to be seen. And Chrysler was purportedly considering a 300 convertible (another Motor Trend story). Alas, due to the economy and little consumer demand, that probably won’t see the light of day either.

In the meantime, check out cabriolet versions of these makes and models, or opt out of convertible tops altogether and stick with just four doors. Above all, be sure to shop around, do your test drives, and get all vehicles under serious consideration inspected.